Defensive Nationalism

A stunningly novel account of why populism and fascism are on the rise in the early 21st century.

Today we find in the most technologically advanced societies, wild conspiracy theories and a broad distrust of science and expertise have created deep political divisions that are splitting nations in two. Defensive Nationalism explains this paradox, using history as a guide. B. S. Rabinowitz finds that the turn-of-the 19th century was also a period of exceptional technological innovation that ended with toxic political upheavals. To investigate why, the author combines Karl Polanyi's concept of the "double movement" with Joseph Schumpeter's theory of innovation. Weaving together a fascinating narrative that spans two centuries, the book traces how the rapid transformation of transportation and communications during the Industrial Revolution and the Digital Revolution created economic interdependence and capital flows that induced radical economic, social, and political disruptions. In response, separate national-populist movements, stemming from particular national histories and struggles, arose concurrently to produce an era of "defensive nationalism." Distinguishing between creative, consolidating, and defensive nationalism, Rabinowitz offers a persuasively fresh way to study socio-political patterns across time and space.

In a surprising twist, Rabinowitz explains the rise of populism and fascism as paradoxically linked to the greatest scientific advances of our age. Using Karl Polanyi's concept of the 'double movement' and Joseph Schumpeter's theory of innovation, the book compares anti-globalization movements of today with those that arose in the late 19th century. The comparison reveals how economic, social and political precarities created by modern technological revolutions draw people to anti-liberal, 'defensive nationalist' movements on both the left and the right. At a time when democracy is endangered by such inward-looking nationalism, Rabinowitz' unique synthesis of theory and history offers a much-needed analysis of the nature of the threats facing us today.

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